Fight fans almost got to see a boxing match between former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre and boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, but UFC ultimately shot the idea down (per Bloody Elbow).
De La Hoya, who announced his return to boxing earlier this year, has been searching for the right opponent for his comeback fight. The 48-year-old former world champion has already been linked to a potential clash with MMA veterans Eddie Alvarez and Anthony Pettis, but those bouts never came to fruition.
“Golden Boy” is still looking for his perfect counterpart.
News is now surfacing that De La Hoya was in talks with St-Pierre’s team to book a legend vs. legend fight inside of the boxing ring. The only issue is GSP is still under contract with UFC and the leading MMA promotion is unwilling to sign off on such a matchup, even if it costs St-Pierre a massive payday.
“This f—k nut (Dana White) kept Georges St-Pierre from making the biggest payday with me,” De La Hoya recently wrote on his Instagram page.
“Dana White and UFC just blocked Georges St-Pierre from fighting Oscar De La Hoya,” Triller head Ryan Kavanaugh also wrote. “It is a big payday for GSP and both he and Oscar’s dream to fight each other.
“Dana would rather hold back those who put the UFC where it is and why?” he continued. “I’ve tried to call and text Dana at least five times to make it work for both parties, not even the courtesy of a return call.”
St-Pierre, who officially retired from MMA back in Feb. 2019, has been linked to a potential superfight with Khabib Nurmagomedov for quite some time. That bout never materialized, Khabib retired in late 2020, and St-Pierre was left without a reason to return to combat sports.
A boxing match with De La Hoya could have moved the needle for the former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion, but we’ll never truly know thanks to the decision by UFC.